The people at Topps took to their twitter account yesterday with some info for the upcoming 2012 Bowman Baseball product.  Not only did they ask for the masses to supply them names we’d like to see, but they also showed some sneak peak pictures of select cards.  Below you’ll see some  images that you can make your judgement on….YAY or NAY?

You can also see that they released a picture of a product (or insert???) caled Bowman Black. The Bryce Harper card above just looks super sweet, but also very much like the Topps 60th autographs.  Nice product idea, but one does wonder if they will be condition sensitive.  Could be a nice chase for the grading gurus if they catch on with collectors & prospectors.

When more images hit the internet, we’ll keep updating, so check back daily.

We’re a little late posting the week #8 USA Collegiate Update from Prospect Nation, but it’s still something you should read.  There is quite a bit of draft player information, about some of the best names through the first half of the season.

Get ready for another 9-innings of collegiate action…

1^st: UCLA junior RHP Trevor Bauer is starting to run away with the 2011 Strikeout Crown and now sits just 3 K’s away from hitting the century mark for the second consecutive year; this past weekend, Bauer pitched a complete game (2^nd over the past 3 starts),  fanning 15 of 33 batters, while allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks; with the season at the halfway point, Bauer figures to pass the 165 K’s he posted last year; just a couple more starts like this and he will be very close…

[LINK: Cougars can’t decipher Bauer]

2^nd: UCLA junior RHP Gerrit Cole took part in the one-up-manship with teammate Trevor Bauer over the weekend as he also tossed a complete game; Cole, however, allowed just 1 unearned run on 5 hits and 1 walk while fanning 7 of the 32 batters he faced; this marked Cole’s second straight complete game (he has 3 on the season) as compared to Bauer’s 2…

[LINK: Cole dominant in complete game win]

[LINK: 2011 Draft – Catching up with Gerrit Cole]

3^rd: Clemson junior SS Brad Miller was named both the ACC Player of the Week and Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Week award; these accolades were the result of a 14-for-21, 2 2B’s, 2 3B’s, 7 RBI’s, 4 stolen bases and 8 run effort; his defense wasn’t too shabby as he flawlessly fielded 28 hits with no errors…

[LINK: Miller named both National and ACC Player of the Week]

4^th: Bethune-Cookman junior C Peter O’Brien is widely regarded as the best hitting catcher in the NCAA and looks to be a 1^st-round draftee come June (see article below); on the week, O’Brien was 8-for-20 with 2 2B’s, 1 HR (10), 7 RBI’s, and scored 4 times; his 10^th HR ties him with LSU’s Mikie Mahtook for the group lead…

[LINK: O’Brien a diamond in the rough *Recommended]

5^th: Arizona sophomore OF Robert Refsnyder raised his cumulative batting average a total of 16 points (0.347 to 0.363) after a terrific week at the plate; Refsnyder was 8-for-17 with a 2B, HR (4), 7 RBI’s and a SB…

[LINK: Stereotypes don’t bother adopted Refsnyder]

6^th: We knew that Miami freshman LHP Bryan Radziewski was special when the Hurricanes gave him the season opening start; Rad has been their Friday ace ever since and has rarely disappointed;  this past Friday, he tossed 5.2 IP and allowed just 1 unearned run on 3 hits; he didn’t walk a single batter and fanned 8 of the 21 he faced; investors, get on-board the Bryan Radziewski train now…

[YouTube: Post-game press conference with Bryan Radziewski]

7^th: LSU freshman RHP Kevin Gausman has had his ups-and-downs this year, but his “ups” are what has everyone in Baton Rouge excited; this past weekend was definitely an “up” as Gausman delivered 8-innings of shutout baseball; he gave up just 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5 of the 28 batters he faced en-route to his 2^nd win on the year; BTW, there’s a Kevin Gausman train with a lot of potential ; )

[LINK: Terrific performance by Gausman not enough as Tigers lose heartbreaker]

8^th: Vanderbilt junior RHP Sonny Gray has flat-out gotten it done this year; many nay-sayers knocked his size and mediocre curveball before the season began; but Gray has consistently silenced the critics throughout the year (see total weekly stats below); his most recent victory, a 6-inning technical shutout (no earned runs, but 2 unearned runs) where he allowed 4 hits and walks and struck out 4, demonstrates a WHIP of 1.33; not bad, but it’s well over his cumulative season WHIP of 1.03; Gray looks to be a Top 5 pick in June’s MLB Draft; Baseball America’s Jim Callis states, “Gray’s fastball-curveball combination is as good as any in this draft, and don’t bet against him as a starter despite his small frame.”…

[LINK: Vandy romps Tide behind ace Sonny Gray]

9^th: Florida sophomore LHP Brian Johnson combined-on-shutout over the weekend; Johnson tossed 6-scoreless-innings, allowing just 6 hits while fanning 3 and walking none; Johnson’s 2.54 ERA and 5-1 record is a big reason why the Gators have done so well this year…

[LINK: Johnson leads Gators to 18-0 win over Bulldogs]

Below are the interesting Q&A’s from the April 11th Baseball America College Top 25 chat.  They covered multiple top players from the USA family tree, which should give you all some good insight.  Highlighted below are the most informative pieces on some of our favorite college pitchers and coincidentally top 2011 MLB Draft Prospects.  The battle for NCAA supremacy lies between these three aces and UVA’s Danny Hultzen.  While two of them are surging up the draft boards, another one is slowly losing steam, creating an interesting potential slide down the draft board.

TREVOR BAUER, RHP, UCLA

Trace (Fairfax, VA): John Savage has been giving Trevor Bauer a long leash when it comes to his pitch counts, averaging 122 per start for the year and leaving him out there for 134 on Saturday. Do you think this will affect how teams view Bauer on draft day?

Aaron Fitt: There is simply too much gnashing of teeth out there about pitch counts. Every pitcher is different, and Bauer is most different at all — he is conditioned to throw a lot. He’s so much like Tim Lincecum in so many ways, and this is one way. Lincecum also threw a lot of pitches in college, and he has not broken down in pro ball. There is no evidence that throwing 122 pitches per game once every seven days makes a guy more likely to break down than throwing 100 pitches every five days, like they do in pro ball. The guys who rail against college coaches over pitch counts need to get a life.

MATT PURKE, LHP, TCU

Taylor (Houston): What is Purke's draft status right now? I know he's maybe slid a bit, but is he still top 5? Top 10, top 3? Thanks.

Aaron Fitt: Slid out of the top 3, but still safely in the top 10, it seems. The consensus seems to be that he’s been passed by fellow lefties Hultzen and Jed Bradley, at least for now. A big thing I’ve heard: Bradley does a much better job pitching inside to righthanded hitters than Purke, who has had some trouble commanding to his glove side. But his fastball velocity has been fine.

GERRIT COLE, RHP, UCLA

steve (York pa): Could you please grade out Gerrit Cole using 20-80 scale? Thanks for chatting.

Aaron Fitt: I think he projects to have an 80 fastball, 65 slider and 65 changeup — a true big league ace. The stuff really does compare pretty well with Strasburg’s stuff. Strasburg’s breaking ball was a little better at the same stage, and I think Strasburg was able to command within the zone a little better, but Cole is really special, too.

It’s that time again and we have a great 9-innings of work by our friends at Prospect Nation.  Not only are they some really cool people and love USA baseball like us, but they really go the extra mile to give you the information you need.

This is the WEEK #7 installment of the USA Collegiate Updates, featuring some constant performers and some new names to the mix.  Be sure you always check out their site and their supplemental blog when you’re done.  You can also support them (and make some money at draft time!) by buying their first web-only promotion for 2010 Topps USA Retail Box Sets.

Welcome, to the 9 glorious innings of NCAA baseball….

1^st: LSU junior OF Mikie Mahtook has gotten ink on our 9-Innings most every week for his offensive prowess; this past week, Mahtook outperformed all of those previous week’s accomplishments; even his 4-homerun season-opening series couldn’t match his 9-for-14 (0.643) 2 triple, 2 HR, 7 RBI and 3 stolen-base weekend; along the way he extended his hitting streak to 14 games and counting; Mahtook now ranks 2^nd among all NCAA Division-I players in homeruns (10) and tied for 9^th in RBI’s (32);  for his efforts, he was named the SEC Player of the Week…

[LINK: Mahtook named SEC Player of the Week]

2^nd: TCU junior RHP Kyle Winkler is another name that just keeps popping up on this weekly list; not to say it hasn’t been deserved as one glance at his cumulative 1.05 ERA, 5-1 record and 0.74 WHIP will certainly say otherwise; this week, Winkler outdid even himself as he faced 26 batters over 7-innings and fanned 15 of them while allowing just one run on four hits and walking one;  his 15 K’s are the most a TCU player has posted since Matt Purke set the club record with 14 in last year’s playoffs; barring one anomalous start, Winkler is one of only a handful of pitchers to be so consistently good most every time out; here are his weekly numbers since the start of the season to prove the point:

ERA	W	L	APP	GS	CG	SHO	CBO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	2B	3B	HR	AB	B/AVG
0.00	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	7.0	1	1	0	0	8	0	0	0	22	0.045
0.00	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	7.1	6	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	25	0.240
0.00	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	8.0	4	0	0	0	9	0	0	0	27	0.148
0.00	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	6.0	3	1	0	1	7	1	0	0	22	0.136
4.50	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	8.0	8	5	4	1	11	2	0	2	31	0.258
1.13	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	8.0	5	1	1	3	9	0	0	0	28	0.179
1.29	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	7.0	4	1	1	1	15	2	0	0	26	0.154

Said head coach Jim Schlossnagle, “”He’s an elite Division I pitcher. He’s as good as we’ve put out there, including [Matt] Purke, [Jake] Arietta, [Lance] Broadway, Clayton Jerome. He’s going to play baseball for a long time, I think.”

[LINK: Winkler named MWC Pitcher of the Week… again]

3^rd: Clemson sophomore 2b Richie Shaffer went 7-for-15 (.467) with a double, triple, grand slam and five RBIs in four games; he scored seven runs and recorded three walks while posting an .867 slugging percentage and .556 on-base percentage and wa s also perfect in the field, committing no errors in 12 chances at third base and first base; in the final two games at No.6 North Carolina, Shaffer went 5-for-7 with two walks, reaching base in seven of his nine plate appearances; in Shaffer’s biggest play of the week, he broke open a close game with a grand slam in the sixth inning to propel the Tigers to an 11-5 win over Georgia; for his accomplishments, Shaffer was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week…

[LINK: Shaffer’s slam propels Clemson to win]

4^th: UCLA junior RHP Trevor Bauer gave up 2 of 3 total runs in the first inning against Washington before settling down; once Bauer found his groove, he was a lock to nail down his 5^th win of the year; along the way he gave up 1 additional run but fanned 10 and walked 2 in 8-innings; his 10 K’s marks the 6^th time in 7 starts that Bauer has fanned 10+ batters in a game and it’s no surprise that he continues to lead the NCAA in strikeouts…

One night earlier, fellow junior RHP Gerrit Cole tossed a complete game for the Bruins to earn his 3^rd win on the year; it was the second time this year Cole went the distance as he allowed just 1 run on 5 hits, fanning 10 and walking 2… *NOTE: the article below on Cole is highly recommended

[LINK: Bauer roughed-up early, finds groove for 5^th win]

[LINK: UCLA Coach says Cole could be pitching in Majors by September]

5^th: Arizona sophomore OF Robert Refsnyder posted a 10-for-22 (.455), 2B, 2 HR’s, 9 RBI’s and 17 total bases on the week; it was business as usual for the super sophomore who is batting .347 on the year with 3 HR’s and 26 RBI’s…

[LINK: Refsnyder delivers in 9^th inning to ensure win for Wildcats]

6^th: Virginia senior RHP Tyler Wilson was pitching out of the bullpen last year; Wilson was then drafted in June by the Cincinnati Reds in the 35^th round but did not sign and returned for his senior year; he didn’t know it at the time, but almost one year later he would be the Cav’s #2 starter (behind Danny Hultzen) and having the year of his life; it’s safe to say his draft stock has improved considerably; this past week Wilson notched his 4^th win (4-0 overall) with a dominating performance; he tossed 7 shutout innings, giving up 5 hits and fanning 10 while walking 2 of the 26 batters he faced…

[LINK: Wilson having career-year]

7^th: Kansas senior RHP T.J. Walz also returned for his senior year after getting drafted late (50^th round by the Oakland Athletics); and although he hasn’t been as good as Wilson, he’s still the Jayhawk’s ace; this past week, facing #19 Baylor, Walz notched his 3^rd win going 7.2 innings and allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, but fanned 11 and walked 3; it was the fourth time this year Walz reached 10+ K’s…

[LINK: Walz notches win against #19 Baylor]

8^th: Hawaii junior OF Kolten Wong may be the most underrated offensive player in Division-I baseball; naturally quiet and laid-back, Wong hasn’t garnered the same type of publicity as fellow prospects Anthony Rendon and George Springer; but Wong continues to consistently display an offensive prowess that is going to make him a 1^st-round draft pick come March; says Aaron Fitt in today’s weekly Baseball America College Chat, “He’s a great all-around player and a likely top-half of the first-rounder. I think he’s the nation’s best second baseman, and there are a lot of good ones this year.”  Now that’s some serious praise; this past week, Wong  was 8-for-16 with a 3B, HR, 9 RBI’s and 2-of-3 on stolen base attempts…

[LINK: Wong excelling even with minor injury]

9^th: Florida State RHP Sean Gilmartin pitched 6 shutout-innings to earn his 6^th win on the year (6-0 total);  Gilmartin faced 20 batters and allowed 3 hits, walked 3 and fanned 9; on the year, Gilmartin has notched 53 K’s over 48.1 IP with a WHIP of 0.74 (3^rd best among our group of pitchers)…

[LINK: Gilmartin cruises again in ‘Noles victory]